With All Due Respect

Is there a masculinity crisis? Or have we fundamentally misunderstood what being a man in the 21st century means? Our hosts spend some time discussing their understanding of masculinity, how they’ve seen it shift around them, and what a Christian vision of masculinity really looks like. Executive Director of the Centre for Public Christianity Simon Smart joins the show to discuss this tricky topic...

Do we live in a culture that thrives on offence? Is it ever okay to intentionally offend? Michael and Megan are joined this week by Presbyterian Minister and writer Nathan Campbell to think through these questions. Our hosts also discuss the theology behind offence, and what offends them. Finally, the 2022 Psychological Thriller Tar - starring Cate Blanchett - comes under the WADR microscope. It's...

This week, our hosts discuss the touchy topic of class. Does Christianity have an issue with class in Australia? What class do our hosts think they belong in? For 'Through the Wardrobe', Michael and Megan share their thoughts on the hit HBO drama The Gilded Age, a show dedicated to the world of the upstairs and downstairs world of 19th century America. (01:36) - - For Arguments Sake (18:41) - - Th...

This week, our hosts are grappling with the topic of sin. They discuss what sin is, and then ponder the relationship of desire to sin. In particular, is all sinful desire ... sinful? Michael and Megan don't entirely see eye to eye on this one! Writer and podcaster Elizabeth Oldfield, well-known as the host of The Sacred podcast, then joins the show for a wide-ranging discussion, including on her n...

This week our hosts ponder the role of animals in creation. What is the standing of animals in comparison to humans in the created order? Is it ever ok to eat animals? Do they go to heaven? Ethicist and Professor of Animal Theology Clair Linzey then joins the show to ponder these questions further, before Michael and Megan turn their attention to the 2017 film The Zookeeper's Wife, which tells the...

Humans are learning creatures. We spend our whole lives picking up new skills, improving them, and finding new areas of knowledge to explore. This week Michael and Megan think through the Biblical implications of this, and along the way are joined by Zeeshan LaalDin. Zeeshan is a Project Officer with Anglican Aid. He will be delivering a keynote address at the upcoming Common Knowledge Conference,...

This week, our hosts hold up a mirror to themselves and discuss the role of the pastor. They ponder a range of questions, including the Biblical job description of a pastor and whether the modern church is equipping its pastors well enough for the job. Principal of Morling College Tim MacBride then joins the show to discuss the challenges facing the pastoral profession. Finally, Michael and Megan...

Neurodiversity is a topic that has seen an upswing of awareness in recent years. With more visibility than ever before, our hosts discuss whether neurodivergence is a good, or "fallen" condition. Writer and scholar Kate Morris then joins the show to discuss her own experiences raising a neurodivergent child, as well as her substack aimed at helping Christians love their neurodivergent friends and...

Theology. It's a term often associated with old professors and dusty books. But theology is actually crucial for the church. So, why don't more Christians take an interest in it? Why has it become so .... stale? These are the questions our hosts (and resident theologians) grapple with. Speaking of childlike - Michael and Megan are joined this week by author Kaitlyn Scheiss, host of the Curiously K...

This week, Megan and Michael look at the epidemic of gendered violence sweeping through both the church and society at large. Our hosts look at what the Bible has to say on the issue and are then joined by expert consultant Carolyn Cousins for a discussion about what the church can do to help stamp it out. They then turn their attention to the program Asking For It , a look at the impacts of gende...

With All Due Respect returns for its ninth season with an episode especially brought to you by Living Hope Funerals . Grief is a universal experience. We all face it at some point in our lives. So, what's a Christian framework for walking through grief? How can we grieve well? Dr Kit Barker joins our hosts to tackle these questions. Our hosts then turn their attention to the Apple TV comedy-drama...

Welcome to another season of With All Due Respect! Megan Powell du Toit and Michael Jensen embark on another series of podcasts tackling some potentially divisive elements of culture with nuance, grace, and - of course- respect! This week, our hosts look at the phenomena of fandom and ask - is it possible for fandom to go far? Can a Christian engage in fandom in good faith? Both our hosts share wh...

Welcome to the final episode of Season 8 of With All Due Respect! This week, Minister Jeri Jones Sparks and former Sydney Archbishop (and Michael's Dad!) Peter Jensen joins the show for a panel discussion on different church generations. The team look at the highs and lows of recent Australian church history, as well as what different generations of Christians today can learn from one other. Our h...

This week, Michael and Megan are joined by Stephen Judd, the former CEO of HammondCare, to discuss how - if at all - an organisation can be "Christian". Our hosts then discuss whether the broader church is an organisation, and if ministers can gain anything from the world of corporate wisdom. Finally, they turn their attention to the hit drama Propser, a new show that follows a family as they buil...

This week, Megan and Michael hash out one of the most controversial issues currently ruling the discourse; the conflict in the Israel and Gaza region. Our hosts think through how the Bible can guide Christians’ response to the conflict. A Palestinian Christian and peacemaker joins the show to discuss the challenges facing faith groups in the conflict zone. Finally, our hosts discuss the film Women...

Mark Twain once famously said, "There are three kinds of lies: lies, damn lies, and statistics". Our hosts this week are chatting about this third lie - statistics. With the age of social media now dictating how people access statistical data, are we literate enough to understand what we are reading when it comes to statistics? How does this affect trust in official information more broadly? And i...

Michael and Megan are kicking off 2024 by checking in on the state of Evangelicalism. Karen Swallow Prior returns to the show to discuss her new book The Evangelical Imagination, which provocatively claims to take stock of a "culture in crisis". Our hosts then hash out the question: does Evangelicalism need another Reformation? Finally, the pair discuss the 17th-century classic The Pilgrim's Progr...

It's the 2023 Christmas episode of With All Due Respect, and we're talking all things Mary this year! New Testament scholar The Rev. Dr Sarah Harris joins the show to discuss the mother of Jesus, and makes some big calls about her place in theological history. Michael and Megan then discuss the place of Mary in Protestant tradition. Should the evangelical Christian church reclaim Mary? Is she in n...

It's the 100th episode of With All Due Respect! To mark their century our guests chat with Mike Bird, Academic Dean of Melbourne's Ridley College, discussing the question "Is the Bible clear in what it tells us?" They also discuss the differences in church tradition when it comes to interpreting scripture. Later, our hosts discuss Sarah Polley's confronting film Women Talking, which explores the c...

Home - it’s an evocative word and one that has instant access to our emotions, whether that’s when Dorothy knocks together her shiny red heels and says there’s no place like home or when angelic children’s choirs sing I still call Australia home on a Qantas ad.  The Bible culminates with an image of God at home with humanity. Home speaks to us of familiarity, safety, welcome, love. Yet home doesn’...

This week, Megan and Michael discuss the place of "civic religion" in Australian society. Defined as the implicit "religious" values of a nation - expressed through public ceremony, symbols, and rituals - our hosts ask if Australia even has a civic religion in the first place. They then turn their eyes to the place of the Welcome to / Acknowledgement of Country in Australia: specifically in the ch...

Leisa Aitken joins Megan and Michael to discuss her dissertation on the psychology of Hope, and why the clinical definition of the word is missing the mark. On 'For Arguments Sake', our hosts discuss whether there may be a lack of hope within the church. Have Christians in the global west lost their eschatological hope? Finally, our hosts cast their eye over Christopher Noaln's blockbuster Oppenhe...

In light of the Barbie movie phenomenon, our hosts take stock of Greta Gerwig's divisive blockbuster, ponder its themes on humanity, and whether it will become an essential existential text. Old Testament expert Dr George Athas then joins the show to discuss the film, its relationship to the book of Ecclesiastes, and how death plays a role in our understanding of being human. See omnystudio.com/li...

As the voting time for the referendum approaches, Michael and Megan are joined by Bundjalung woman Karen Mundine, CEO of Reconciliation Australia, and Peter Morris, General Manager of the Reconciliation Action Plan program of Reconciliation Australia. They talk through what a 'yes' vote might mean for Australian society, its citizens, and the church. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa...

Welcome to season 8 of With All Due Respect! As Australians prepare to vote in a referendum on an Aboriginal Voice in parliament, Michael Jensen and (newly Reverend Dr) Megan Powell du Toit speak with constitutional law expert Dr Joel Harrison about what it might mean, legally speaking. They then discuss whether or not the church should be involved with politics at all  - a thorny issue that Micha...